Antique English Flame Mahogany Library Breakfront Bookcase 19th C

This is a beautiful antique Victorian flame mahogany four door library breakfront bookcase, masterfully crafted in rich solid mahogany, Circa 1860 in date.

This magnificent bookcase features four arched top glazed doors in the upper section revealing the twelve original solid mahogany shelves that can all be adjusted according to the height of your books. The lower section has three frieze drawers above four panelled doors, opening to reveal spacious cupboards with central shelves. The shelves and the bookcase back are all made from solid mahogany.

There is no mistaking its superb quality and very grand design, which is certain to make it a talking point in your home and stand proud in whichever room you choose to display it.

Complete with working locks and keys.

Condition:

In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 238 x Width 239 x Depth 53

Dimensions in inches:

Height 7 foot, 10 inches x Width 7 foot, 10 inches x Depth 1 foot, 9 inches

Flame Mahogany

Thomas Sheraton - 18th century furniture designer, once characterized mahogany as "best suited to furniture where strength is demanded as well as a wood that works up easily, has a beautiful figure and polishes so well that it is an ornament to any room in which it may be placed." Matching his words to his work, Sheraton designed much mahogany furniture. The qualities that impressed Sheraton are particularly evident in a distinctive pattern of wood called "flame mahogany."

The flame figure in the wood is revealed by slicing through the face of the branch at the point where it joins another element of the tree.

Mahogany

is probably one of the largest ‘families’ of hardwood, having many different varieties within its own species.

Mahogany has been used for centuries in ship building, house building, furniture making etc and is the core structure of just about every 19th century vanity box, dressing case or jewellery box. It became more of a Victorian trend to dress Mahogany with these decorative veneers, such as Rosewood, Kingwood, Burr Walnut and Coromandel, so that the actual Mahogany was almost hidden from view.

Mahogany itself is a rich reddish brown wood that can range from being plain in appearance to something that is so vibrant, figured and almost three dimensional in effect.

Although Mahogany was most often used in its solid form, it also provided some beautifully figured varieties of veneer like ‘Flame’ Mahogany and ‘Fiddleback’ Mahogany (named after its preferred use in the manufacture of fine musical instruments).

Cuban Mahogany was so sought after, that by the late 1850's, this particular variety became all but extinct.

Our reference: A2266